Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device that searches for an object from a shot image and generates an image focusing on an object image that is a search result, and its control method.
Description of the Related Art
An imaging apparatus referred to as a light-field (hereinafter referred to as “LF”) camera has been commercialized in recent years. This imaging apparatus enables shooting light in a plurality of directions and obtaining information of light rays by splitting incident light through a microlens array arranged on an image sensor. Hereinafter, an image shot by the LF camera is referred to as “LF image” and image data is referred to as “LF data”. It is possible to reconstruct an image at an optional viewpoint and an image focusing at an optional position and with an optional depth of field by executing predetermined calculation processing after shooting based on the intensity of the light rays relating to the LF data and its incident direction. That is, a feature in which the image for which the viewpoint, the focus position, and the depth of field can be reconstructed after shooting by performing the arithmetic processing on the recorded data is an advantage of the LF camera. This reconstruction processing is referred to as development processing of the LF image.
It is common that the development processing is performed by focusing on a predetermined default focus position when the LF image is displayed. For example, setting information during the display of the LF image at the previous time is stored as the default focus position and the setting information is used next time. Additionally, an image search (object search) in which an object, including a person, is specified as search criteria and an image of the specified object is searched for by using object recognition and meta data is commonly performed. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-086194 discloses a presentation method of image search results.
As described above, the focus position and the like during the display of the LF image at the previous time is set as the default, the development is performed by focusing on the position and the LF image is displayed, but the object may not always be focused in such a setting. FIG. 16A illustrates an example of the LF image. This illustrates a state of focusing on an object 122 among three objects 121, 122 and 123 as a default state. Accordingly, the object specified as the search target (for example, the object 123) may not always be focused on even performing the development by focusing on the default focus position. Therefore, a user may need to search for the object to be searched for while adjusting the focus position again. For example, the user may need to perform an adjustment operation for focusing on the object 123 that is the search target, as shown in the example of the LF image in FIG. 16B, and thus the operation is complicated.
Additionally, the prior art in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-086194 discloses changing a shape or color of a frame line that emphasizes the object to be searched for, but the focus position of the image to be displayed is not considered.